Project Horizon: What is it?
By Severio Martin
Project Horizon is a center located in Lexington, VA, that works to provide free services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the Rockbridge community. Resources Project Horizon offers include, counseling, emergency shelter, legal services, and more.
The resources at Project Horizon are completely free and confidential. Most schools, in accordance with Title XI, are required to report harmful or suspicious activity. However, at Project Horizon, anything said over the hotline is 100 percent confidential.
Lexington native Mikhala Stafford is the campus services coordinator at Project Horizon and works with Southern Virginia University, Washington and Lee, Virginia Military Institute and Dabney Community College, to protect the rights of students dealing with trauma.
Stafford states, “If someone is already going to the counseling center at Southern Virginia University and wants to have a confidential conversation off campus, we can do that for them.”
Project Horizon does everything in their power to make individuals feel comfortable.
When should you report misconduct?
There is no correct answer on whether something needs to be reported to Project Horizon, your University, or law enforcement. It is different for everyone. When deciding what to report, ultimately, it’s up to you to follow your gut. Resources are available at Project Horizon to talk about any harm or violence that has been witnessed/experienced.
“If the reason you do not talk to someone is that you are traumatized or do not know what to say or do not know how to approach it, that can be harmful. Everyone deserves a chance to be able to talk about what happened to them,”says Stafford.
One of the pressing issues facing college campuses is sexual violence of all types.
Stafford, when speaking, made sure to clarify that indivduals don’t just need consent for sex. Asking for consent means asking if an individual can give you a hug or if they can be alone with you, or thousands of other things.
Stafford focuses most of her work in prevention and explains that the biggest challenge is getting individuals to have the uncomfortable conversations about a healthy/unhealthy relationship, and she works to make the above conversation open and inviting.
Stafford can be reached directly, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Mikhala Stafford: 540–463–7861
Associated with Project Horizon is a 24-hour hotline that can be reached at 540–463–2594.
Project Horizon is located at 120 Varner Ln, in Lexington.
Southern Virginia University’s Student Wellness Center also offers valuable resources to students facing trauma.
